Definition of evacuate
evacuated
;evacuating
transitive verb
1 : to remove the contents of : empty
2 : to discharge from the body as waste : void
3 : to remove something (such as gas or water) from especially by pumping
4a : to remove especially from a military zone or dangerous areab : to withdraw from military occupation ofc : vacate 1 were ordered to evacuate the building
intransitive verb
1 : to withdraw from a place in an organized way especially for protection
2 : to pass urine or feces from the body
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Examples of evacuate in a Sentence
People who live along the coast are being evacuated as the hurricane approaches.
During World War II, children were evacuated from London to the country.
Residents were ordered to evacuate the building.
Residents have been ordered to evacuate.
Recent Examples of evacuate from the Web
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So, on May 26, the Allies launched Operation Dynamo, a mission to evacuate their forces from Dunkirk via the English Channel.
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On July 12, flooding and a related power outage prompted the hospital to evacuate 93 patients.
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Two houses in Rancho Bernardo’s Westwood neighborhood were evacuated early Monday afternoon due to a natural gas leak at a nearby home under fumigation.
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Residents within a 1-mile radius of the spill, about 4 miles southwest of Bastrop, Texas, were evacuated.
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Officials estimated 10 to 15 homes are threatened, and all the homes on Viewside Lane, which parallels Interstate 8 to the south, have been evacuated.
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From May 27 until June 4, 1940, more than 338,000 Allied troops who'd been encircled by the Nazis at Dunkirk, France, were evacuated by sea.
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Most Islamic State leaders and personnel responsible for administering the caliphate and plotting attacks have evacuated the city.
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There was another round in August 2011 forcing some residents to again evacuate their homes.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'evacuate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of evacuate
Middle English, to draw off morbid humors, from Latin evacuatus, past participle of evacuare to empty, from e- + vacuus empty
EVACUATE Defined for English Language Learners
evacuate
playDefinition of evacuate for English Language Learners
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: to remove (someone) from a dangerous place
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: to leave (a dangerous place)
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medical : to pass (solid waste) from your body
EVACUATE Defined for Kids
evacuate
playDefinition of evacuate for Students
evacuated
;evacuating
1 : to leave or cause to leave a place of danger Residents evacuated the burning building.
2 : to make empty : empty out
3 : to discharge waste matter from the body
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about evacuate
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See words that rhyme with evacuate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for evacuate Spanish Central: Translation of evacuate Nglish: Translation of evacuate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of evacuate for Arabic speakers
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